Call of Duty reveals Pack-a-Punch weapon name origins in Black Ops 6 Zombies

Call of Duty's recent blog post (January 15, 2025) revealed exciting new details about Black Ops 6 Zombies, including the upcoming map The Tomb and an intriguing explanation behind the changing names of Pack-a-Punched weapons. Until now, the reason for these name-changes was a mystery.

For instance, when you Pack-a-Punch the Tanto .22 SMG, its name changes to Kubikiri, a term inspired by Japanese culture. While Tanto refers to a short sword in Japanese, Kubikiri describes the act of beheading enemies for trophies.

The blog also includes several other Pack-a-Punched weapon names for Black Ops 6 Zombies, along with the inspirations behind them. Read on to know more.

---

Call of Duty explains Black Ops 6 Zombies Pack-a-Punch weapon names and their significance

According to the developers, when you Pack-a-Punch (PaP) a weapon in Black Ops 6 Zombies, its performance is significantly enhanced. Given such a major upgrade, it wouldn't feel right to keep the weapon's original name; so the team provides a distinct name for its enhanced version.

Below are a few of the Black Ops 6 Zombies Pack-a-Punch weapon names and the inspirations behind them, as per the official blog post:

• Tanto .22 becomes the Kubikiri. A tanto is a Japanese short sword, and a type with the blade on the inside curve was used for kubikiri, to cut the heads off dead enemies for trophies. Badass.
• Goblin Mk2 becomes Ogre Mk XII. (“What’s stronger than a goblin? Oh yeah, and make the number bigger.”)
• AS Val becomes AS If, which was popular slang in the 1990s. Hopefully, some of you have actual memories of this.
• Jackal PDW becomes the Embalmer JNPW. Anubis is the god of funerary rites, such as embalming. He has the head of a jackal, and JNPW is one way to write his name in Ancient Egyptian.
• GS45 becomes Sally & Forth. A relative of the OG duo from Black Ops 1, these 45s sally forth to meet the enemy head-on!
• Marine SP becomes the Bakunawa. The Bakunawa is a mythical Phillipine moon dragon.
• XM4 becomes Xyster Meister, a backronym and a new name. Sometimes weapons that have appeared in previous Zombies games will get a new, similar name to reflect different tunings.
• XMG becomes Xenon Matter Granulator. Another backronym is related to the XM4’s Xeno Matter from BO4 since the weapon is in the same family of “XM” weapons. If you didn’t know, now you do.
• AK-74 becomes Rasputin’s Rebuke, another in a series of “Rasputins” (it’s hard to get rid of the guy).
• GPR 91 becomes Geomyidae 41. Geomyidae is the scientific name for a GoPheR. This one’s a pretty deep cut.
• Tsarkov 7.62 becomes Tsarkophagus KV62. Tsarkov is the root word of Tsarkophagus, and we’re not being Tsarkastic!
• AEK-973 becomes AOK 5x5. “A-okay, five by five” means you’re receiving a clear radio signal.
• Cigma 2B becomes Ornot 2B. 2B Ornot 2B? That is the question.
• HE-1 becomes H3-15-H1M. He’s him!
• PU-21 becomes DK Phthisis. Phthisis is the personification of rot and decay. Another deep biology cut.
• Grakhova becomes Kraka & Toa. Krakatoa isn’t just a caldera in Indonesia, you know.
• ASG-89 becomes Munmu’s Protection. King Munmu wished to become a dragon to protect his people. This shotgun can use Dragon’s Breath to protect you. Boom.
• SVD becomes Shadow Veil Demon. Like a shot out of nowhere. (Also just a badass name.)
• Thrustodyne Model 23 becomes Scramjet Model 3200. A scramjet is a powerful type of jet engine, much like this reimagined Wonder Weapon.
• DR-11 Beamsmasher becomes Supersonic Crusher, using sound and light to penetrate your soul!

---

Check out our other Call of Duty articles:

• Call of Duty announces 6 days of double XP in Black Ops 6 to celebrate 115 day
• When does The Tomb release in Black Ops 6 Zombies?
• "69b ....bigger and bigger L": Westie calls out Microsoft's acquisition of Call of Duty after seeing Black Ops 6's state
• Treyarch confirms highly requested feature to return in Black Ops 6
• Call of Duty gets community noted on X for store bundles in Black Ops 6